


when time comes around

by Heronfem



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Bullying, Complicated Relationships, Falling In Love, Hogwarts Inter-House Relationships, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Sugawara Koushi knows what he wants thank you very much, Teenage Dorks, Trans Kyoutani Kentarou
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-18 16:05:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14216781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heronfem/pseuds/Heronfem
Summary: A love story of Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koushi within the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, in all its complexity and joy.





	1. Chapter 1

Koushi knows he's in trouble when Terushima Yuuji flops down in front of him in the library and grins. His hair is dyed yellow to match the Hufflepuff colors on his robes, he has a tongue piercing, and his nails are painted. He's finally hit his true teenage rebellion stage, and Koushi couldn't be more proud. Took him long enough. 

“I don't know what's about to happen,” Koushi says over his book, “but when you look like that, it's never anything good.”

“You were all busy with new Prefect duties the other day, so you didn't seeee him,” Terushima snickers. They've been back to school about three days, and Koushi is already drowning in mountains of homework for Arithmancy. He doesn't even _like_ Arithmancy, he should have taken something else. Maybe he can still switch. “Oh, man, you're gonna lose it when you do.”

“When I see who?” Koushi asks, grabbing a bookmark. 

“Sa-wa-mu-ra Daiiichiiii,” Terushima practically sings, snickering again. “He got big.”

Koushi stares blankly at him. “Sawamura Daichi? What about him?”

“Ye-p.” Terushima pops the last 'p' noise. “You know. Your age, Gryffindor Prefect, Quidditch captain? And he looks like a male model with all those muscles.” 

Koushi's always been vaguely, somewhat aware of Sawamura. He's been a generically good student, plays Chaser on the Gryffindor team, and... that's about all he knows. He can picture him- they've shared enough classes that Koushi has a solid image of him. On the shorter side, stocky, black hair and dark brown eyes, usually with Azumane Asahi and heckling him about something. That's about all that he knows. They haven't really talked much, there's never been a need. The only classes they've ever shared have been Herbology and that one really annoying and weird Potions class third year after everything went all to hell and their potions teacher resigned. They have Nekomata-sensei for Potions now, thank god. 

“That's... nice?” Koushi says, because he still has no idea why Terushima is telling him all of this. 

“Suga-chan,” Terushima coos, eyes lighting with dangerous glee, “he's _exactly_ your type.”

“I doubt it,” Koushi sniffs, feeling his cheeks go hot. 

“Oh?” Terushima, looking for all the world like a scheming aunt, grabs his chin and forcibly turns his head to watch as Sawamura and Azumane walk into the library.

Sugawara Koushi, Slytherin House parent, Prefect, 3rd best of his year and 16 years old, promptly drops his textbook.

oOo

Kuroo is sitting on Kenma's bed when Koushi straggles into the Slytherin dorms, to no one's great surprise. Kuroo's there more often than not, though today he looks particularly exhausted and is so tightly curled up against Kenma's side in a ball of oversized limbs and bed hair that Koushi's heart goes out to him. Kenma himself is doing a whole lot of nothing, no book or game in his hands, and is instead gently petting Kuroo's hair.

“Bad day?” Koushi asks quietly, and Kenma's face twists in displeasure. 

“The Prefect a year above him is being difficult, and he's got a migraine,” Kenma says, and Koushi nearly recoils at the sheer venom in his voice. 

“I see.” 

The Ravenclaw's in the year just above Kuroo are notoriously nasty, to the point that Kuroo keeps his things in Slytherin House instead of his own out of sheer paranoia. Suga originally had a room to himself due to an odd number of kids his year, but then there was an odd number the next and he wound up with one Kozume Kenma as a roommate; and, by extension, Kuroo Tetsurou. Kenma's a perfect roommate, and Kuroo's wonderful as well, and Suga loves having them with him. When they'd first met, Kenma had been tiny and terrified of the world, with whole days where he could barely speak since the anxiety was so bad. Kuroo, at the tender age of 12, was not about to let his best friend in the whole world suffer, and had marched down and into the Slytherin house's collective lives. Now, Kuroo sleeps in Kenma's bed more days than not and his trunk and baubles take up an unobtrusive corner of the room. It wasn't even taken to Ravenclaw's dormitory this year.

Koushi climbs onto Kenma's bed to rub Kuroo's shoulders. 

“Do you want me to get Tooru?” he asks quietly. “He's got that headache stuff. It might help.”

“Please,” Kuroo says through gritted teeth, and Kenma bites his lip at he looks at his friend. 

Partner. 

Something.

Anyone with eyes can see they've got some sort of funky “destined for a life together, romantic or not” thing happening, and nobody really wants to question it. Granted, 12 year old Koushi had thought it was maybe the single most romantic thing he'd ever seen when Kuroo had stormed down to Slytherin dormitory and demanded that he be let in because Kenma was definitely scared and he wanted to see his best friend. He'd been shaking, hand clenched and eyes a little too bright with unshed tears, and Koushi had practically swooned when Kuroo made a beeline to Kenma's bed upon being let into their bedroom and grabbed Kenma's hand to hold. 

Koushi gets up and migrates to the next bedroom to the left, knocking quietly. Tooru practically throws open the door, hair a mess and a face mask on. 

“Koucchan, I am in the _middle_ of something,” he says, with all the haughtiness he can manage when he has sprout clips in his hair to hold back his bangs. 

“Tooru,” Koushi says, very carefully not smiling at the adorable clips, “I know you're not.”

“Excuse you-”

“Makki and Mattsun aren't here to be in the middle of.”

He hears a bark of laughter from inside the room, and Iwaizumi pokes his head around the door with a wide and easy grin. “Hi-five.”

Koushi indulges him as Tooru squeaks, going red under the mask. “That- I- _Sugawara Koushi I would never_ -”

“Don't worry, you and Hajime's extremely dirty secrets are safe with me,” Koushi sings, as Iwaizumi howls with laughter at the look on Tooru's face. “Can I borrow your headache stuff? Kuroo's got a migraine.”

Tooru's immediately all business, waving him in. The Iwaizumi-Oikawa room is comfortable and homely, the result of a lifetime spent together. There are plants hung from the ceiling and in pots on the floor and bookshelves, an artificial window looking out over a mountain meadow letting in sunlight for them, and they have matching quilts on their beds with elaborate stitched runes for protection and easy sleep. The bookshelves are warm woods, stuffed full of adventures (Hajime), comics (Tooru), manga (Tooru again), and German philosophy (Hajime. Weirdo). The pair of them don't even use their trunks most of the year, making use of two dressers that without fail appear out of nowhere in their room. Hajime's is slightly open, Tooru's perfectly closed and the top pristinely clean. The trunks serve as benches and plant holders most of the year, but Tooru pulls out an opaque teal bottle stoppered with a glass leaf from his and hands it over. 

“Just a couple drops on the tongue,” he warns, “it's powerful. Kuroo-kun should stay here tonight, it'll make it hard for him to even walk.”

“What _is_ this stuff?”

“Ask me no questions I'll tell you no lies~”

“Very reassuring,” Koushi sighs. “Oh! Congratulations on becoming a Prefect!”

Tooru beams at him. “I'm really happy! It's sad about Manyuda-senpai though, I feel bad about his breakdown.”

“I know.” Suga hesitates, and mumbles, “I really thought it would be you right off the bat, Tooru.”

Tooru makes a face. “There's being ambitious and then there's a hunger for more and more,” he says, looking down as he closes his trunk. “I think they were more scared than anything.”

Iwaizumi leans against the wall, smiling with no small amount of pride. “You'll show 'em.”

“Yeah.” Tooru smiles, shrugging. “Anyway, just use two drops to be safe.”

“Thank you,” Koushi sings, and leaves them in peace. Returning to his cool, quiet room, with it's soft natural light lamps and simple décor, he feels a bit more relaxed. Kuroo's migrated so that his head is on Kenma's chest, ear pressed just above his heart to listen to it. Koushi smiles, lingering in the doorway as he watches Kenma doze with Kuroo. The first week is always rough for his roommate, the change in routine difficult. But he's clearly doing better, breathing easier just with Kuroo there. 

Kuroo's eyes crack open as Koushi closes the door, and grimaces when he sees the bottle. 

“S'gonna taste like shit,” he mumbles.

“Probably, yes,” Koushi agrees. Kuroo doesn't even bother to move as Koushi sits on the bed again.

“How much?”

“Two drops, no more,” he says, pulling the stopper out. Kuroo reluctantly opens his mouth, accepting the drops, and Koushi and Kenma both breathe a sigh of relief as his eyes roll back and he immediately starts to snore. 

“That was fast,” Kenma murmurs, stress lines easing from around his eyes. “Maybe he'll actually get some sleep tonight.”

“He hasn't slept well?” Koushi sleeps like the dead. Anything that happens short of the Apocalypse after he closes his eyes isn't going to wake him. Kenma's performed experiments. So far, he can sleep through air horns, Mario Cart games, Kuroo singing with a guitar and an amp, and Hajime and Tooru's on key rendition of “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” sung from two feet away. People walking around are hardly going to wake him. 

Kenma eases Kuroo off of him, climbing out of bed to fetch his pajamas. “He kept having nightmares. He was up and down half the night.”

“Poor thing,” Koushi coos, and prepares for bed as well. 

In the morning he's not hugely surprised to find Kuroo in the middle of morning yoga when he wakes. 

“You're up,” Kuroo says cheerfully as he lifts himself into scorpion pose. He looks much better than he did last night, and his eyes are bright with mirth as Koushi's eyes helplessly fix on the extremely tight yoga pants. Koushi groans when he wiggles his eyebrows, flopping back down amid his delightfully soft pillows. “Hey, how's my form? Am I even? I think my left leg is wrong.”

“I hate you,” Koushi complains, dragging himself out of bed. Kuroo's leg is bent slightly off, and he adjusts it. “I hate you and your stupid flexible body. This is ridiculous.”

From where he has his head covered by a pillow, Kenma aggressively groans in agreement.

They make it to breakfast all intact, and Kuroo peels off to join the Ravenclaw table and those among his year there. Oikawa and Iwaizumi are already at the table, bickering at each other as they steal food off of the other's plate. Kenma yawns as he eats bland, boring cereal, and Akaashi drops down next to them with an expression on his face that suggests sudden, instant, and even immediate death if anyone talks to him. Since this is Akaashi's default morning state and four years of breakfast time violence has taught the world otherwise, no one does. Koushi watches as Kenma passes him the coffee, and Akaashi drinks two mugs plain. Two first years stare in terrified awe. Koushi understands how they feel. 

“-can learn on my own,” Oikawa's saying when Koushi tunes into their bickering.

“Oh my god, babe, you're _sixteen_. He's a literal teacher with years of experience. It's not going to kill you to try and ask him so you don't fuck up this project,” Iwaizumi says, exasperated. “He thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread, he'll actually listen to you or Suga if you ask for help instead of pouting about it. If you don't, someone else will snatch your idea. Like Ushijima. Do _you_ want Ushijima getting private lessons?”

“I loathe and despise you, you beautiful man,” Oikawa tells his boyfriend severely. “You are a terror and not to be trusted, blackmailing me like this. Truly, you are the worst that Slytherin can be.”

“I'm in Slytherin with _you_ , you obnoxious menace.”

Oikawa growls before leaning forward to look down the table. Koushi hides a smile as he barks, “Tobio-chan!”

Kageyama Tobio, fourth year Slytherin and arguably more socially awkward than Kenma, jolts beside Futakuchi Kenji. “Yes?”

“Yes _what_?”

“...Yes, Oikawa-san?”

“Better,” Oikawa says sharply. “Eat your mango before I force feed it to you! It's good for you. And have more milk, man does not live on bread alone.”

“Y-yes Oikawa-san.”

Koushi narrowly avoids laughing. For all that Oikawa seethes about their talented underclassman, he fusses over Tobio like a parent would. Given that Koushi does the same, he rarely teases him about it. Oikawa, Prefect and Quidditch Captain, aggressively goes about his day making certain that all of Slytherin house is well cared for. They go to Oikawa for advice with the hard sciences and Koushi for emotional support, and he likes it like that. 

Across the hall, something explodes and someone shrieks. Akaashi sighs beside him and takes a last, fortifying swig of coffee. 

“Something wrong?” Koushi asks, as everybody cranes their heads to look. 

“I have to go rescue Bokuto-san from himself,” Akaashi says mildly, standing up and adjusting his robes. “Because I'm fairly certain he just got rejected via owl.”

Bokuto Koutarou, sitting at Gryffindor table, does look very sad as he looks at the smoldering remains of a letter. 

“Give him a hug for me,” Koushi says, and Akaashi gives him a distinctly annoyed stare before striding over to Gryffindor table. Azumane, the shrieker, has collapsed on the table and Sawamura is rubbing his back. Bokuto looks up as Akaashi appears, and Akaashi waits patiently for him to gather his things before leading them both from the room. 

Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro, both in Hufflepuff colors, drop down on either side of Oikawa and Iwaizumi as Kenma gathers his things and prepares to leave. Oikawa leans over for indulgent forehead kisses, and hums in pleasure when he receives them. 

“Mornin' Suga,” Hanamaki says, grinning at him. “Terushima was just talking about you.”

“How am I not surprised,” Koushi sighs, looking over to his friend. Terushima wiggles his eyebrows and gives him a fingerwave. “I hate him.”

“Mm, yeah, sure. So. Sawamura.”

Iwaizumi looks up from his waffles. “What about Sawamura?”

“He's built like a fuckin' tank, for one thing,” Kuroo says, dropping into the seat next to Koushi that Kenma's vacated. “Please tell me you're going to do something about the way that poor boy's been looking at you for the past two years?”

“He what?” Koushi says blankly.

“Oh, my sweet, sweet summer child,” Oikawa sighs, turning to Iwaizumi and dramatically putting his hand to his forehead to swoon against Matsukawa, who seems amused by the display. “Darling, we've failed him! Our own, wonderful friend, and we've failed him!”

“Truly tragic,” Matsukawa deadpans, fanning his hand over Oikawa's face.

“Wait, Sawamura likes me?” Koushi demands, still stuck on this news. “No way. We don't even know each other.”

“Sugawara Daichi has a nice ring to it,” Hanamaki muses. “It's like, delicate but sturdy. Y'know? Like asbestos.”

“Don't compare Koucchan's name to asbestos!”

“It's a good building material-”

“Oh my _god_ Makki.”

oOo

Slytherin has Chemistry with the Gryffindors this term, apparently. With their new Headmaster, there's been a lot more emphasis put on actual science and such, which means they now have a General History course, Chemistry, standard Math, Earth Sciences, and “Language Arts”, which essentially is just English but with added short stories. Eventually such courses will no longer be required past the fourth year, but for now they're stuck with them. Koushi doesn't mind. He likes being grounded among all the magic.

Except. For one small problem.

Semi Eita yawns at the table next to him as the professor drones one, doodling his notebook. Koushi stares at Sawamura, one desk ahead and to the left, and feels like his face is catching on fire. Terushima hadn't been kidding. Sawamura's back is broad and sturdy, and he looks like he's grown into himself a lot. He's gotten taller, for one. For another, he's tanned. What's he been doing that he could actually _tan_? Did he work on a farm? Visit some exotic and foreign locale? What fucking gives? Koushi's spent a blissful five years of schooling not really noticing him, and now he shows up looking like the finest farm raised beef. This is ridiculous! It's an outrage! It's-

Semi nudges him with his notebook.

'you look like you're trying to take his clothes apart with your eyes suga, keep it in your pants'

Koushi goes red, grabbing his pencil to write back.

'Tooru says he likes me!!!!'

Semi gives him the single most disappointed look he's ever received outside of his parents home. 'and you just now noticed? holy shit suga.'

'hey!! how would I have known? Not like we talk or anything.'

'Fair.'

Semi seems amused, though, and Koushi resists the urge to stick his tongue out at him as their lecture concludes. Bokuto, who's been slumped on the table looking sad, perks up and pulls his bag over his shoulder. His tablemate, Reon, pats his shoulder and urges him up. Sawamura, sitting with Azumane, is gathering his things. 

“Talk to him,” Semi says with a yawn. “I'm gonna go see if Ushijima wants to get rowdy in the back of the greenhouses.”

“ _What_?”

“I've got Plant Taxonomy as an elective and Ushijima loves them,” Semi says with a smirk. “But maybe the dream team's luck will rub off on me and I'll be lucky too.”

“You're cavorting with the enemy,” Oikawa complains, whipping around in his seat. Iwaizumi rolls his eyes. “Rude, Eita!”

“The heart wants what the heart wants. And what this heart wants is to pass with good grades,” Semi retorts, smirking. “Or, y'know. Make a couple passes and see where shit goes. I'm easy with the outcome of this situation. See ya. Oi, Reon, wait up!”

Iwaizumi gives Koushi a pointed look, nodding at Sawamura, and elbows his not-exactly-better half into getting up. “We've got to get halfway across the damn castle to get to Ancient Runes. What've you got next?”

“Ballroom dance,” Koushi says, and Sawamura drops his books. Azumane starts helping him pick them up. “I need another physical outlet aside from flying and Quidditch practice, and I like dance well enough.”

“I wanted to do it but _someone_ pitched a fit,” Iwaizumi says dryly. Oikawa just smiles beatifically. “I'm going to step all over your feet at the dances this year, Shittykawa, and all because you got stupidly jealous about me dancing with other people.”

“I'll suffer for my love, dearest.”

“You're a possessive piece of shit, darling.”

“It's been said, and it'll be said again sugarplum- _ow_ , Iwa-chan!”

The pair leave the room still bickering, and Koushi follows after them. Sawamura trails after him with Azumane, and clears his throat. 

Koushi's heart leaps as he turns.

“Ah,” Sawamura says, and wow, his eyes are _really_ pretty. “Y-you're doing ballroom dance?”

“Yes,” Koushi squeaks out. 

“So am we- are we, am I, um. We could- walk together?”

Behind Sawamura, Azumane looks up at the ceiling for some reason, shaking his head. Koushi's certain he had better game than this just last year, but he just nods and clutches his bag to his chest, and feels stupidly shy. Sawamura used to be almost exactly the same height as him, maybe a little shorter, but now he's a solid inch or more taller. Koushi feels oddly flustered by this, and tucks his hair behind his ear as they walk together in silence.

“Oh, no,” Azumane says suddenly. “I just remembered. I have to drop off a book to Moniwa, I'll meet you there!”

“Asahi-” Sawamura reaches for him, but the massive Gryffidor Chaser has already bolted down the hallway. 

Koushi and Sawamura stand together in silence, and Sawamura sighs. He rubs his forehead, and Koushi has to hide a smile.

“Sorry,” Sawamura says, “he's a coward. Our giant cowardly lion.”

“It's hardly a problem,” Koushi says as they start walking again. “So, ah, how's your first week back been?”

“Good, good. Yours?”

“About the same,” Koushi says, biting his lip. “Umm. How was your summer?”

Sawamura rubs the back of his neck. “Oh, uh. Busy, mostly. I went to visit some family in the South of France and stayed with them for a month on their farm.” Koushi screams internally. “It's not really that exciting, they just run a small operation, but I got to spend a lot of time outside and got a lot of practice in for Quidditch.”

“Slytherin's still going to beat you,” Koushi says cheerfully.

“I dunno, we've got a good team this year,” Sawamura says, smiling. “Hinata's finally capable of doing things other than flailing around and nearly dying, for one thing.”

Koushi can't help but laugh. “Hinata's a good kid,” he says fondly. “Nishinoya's still your Seeker?”

“Yep. Asahi, Tanaka, and Reon are Chasers, I'm the Keeper like normal, Nishinoya's up there Seeking, and Hinata and Bokuto are our Beaters this year. Are you going to play this year?”

“Ahhh.” Koushi shrugs. “That depends entirely on Oikawa. I'll remain on the roster for backup Chaser, but I think he's going to swap the team around a little, see if there's a better fit for some of us. There was... there was an incident, over the summer, with Kageyama's junior team competitions going sour in the worst possible way. I don't know if Kageyama will even want to play with the team this year.”

“Sounds like something serious,” Sawamura says, obviously concerned.

“Tobio's gifted,” Koushi says, heart twisting a little. “Very, very gifted, honestly, but his family background isn't the best and when the one thing you think you can count on falls apart...” He shakes his head. “Oikawa and I are the closest things to a decent parent he's got, which should tell you everything you need to know about how bad it is. I think he's still a little fragile, and having Kindaichi and Kunimi on the team with him would be, hmm. Not good.”

“I'm glad you're there for him, though,” Sawamura says, entirely serious. 

Koushi raises an eyebrow, surprised. 

Sawamura looks forward, tapping his fingers on his robes. “Hinata and Kageyama are friends, you know. Well. Rivals. They're something, in any case.”

“Boyfriends who haven't figured out they're dating yet?”

“Mm, yeah, that.” Sawamura shakes his head, but it gets a smile out of him. Koushi's heart stammers helplessly. Oh, no. He's fucked. “But I know Hinata cares about him a great deal, maybe more than even he knows. So... I'm glad you're there to help.”

“He's a good kid, under all the panic and, y'know, being a kid-ness.” Koushi can't help but smile. “So is Hinata.”

Sawamura smiles again, soft and shy, and Koushi wants nothing more than to pin him up against the wall and make out with him until they're both breathless. Instead, they change into their gym clothes in the bathroom closest to the classroom.

When they arrive at the dance classroom, Koushi is forced to recognize that he is Royally, Royally fucked. Their teacher is the younger Ukai, Keishin, and he has them doing stretches within minutes of walking through the door. It's a surprisingly busy class. Kuroo is there, being heckled by Yaku Morisuke as they stretch together in a show of limber strength with their friend Kai Nobuyuki (all three of them Ravenclaws), Nishinoya Yuu is chattering with Azumane (how did he get there before them?). Shimizu Kiyoko, Shirofuku Yukie, Suzumeda Kaori, Yachi Hitoka, Miyanoshita Eri, Otaki Mako, Yamaka Mika, Michimiya Yui, Sasaki Chizuru all chat together in the corner as Suzumeda does the splits. The Meme Team are there being saps at each other (Mattsun and Makki, to no one's surprise), Tendou Satori has shown (to everyone's surprise), and Kita Shinsuke is serenely stretching his arms while he watches both of the Miya's like a hawk. The three of them make up the worlds most aggressive Hufflepuff trio. Koushi watches as Sawamura stretches out, and swoons a little. 

Because of course there are, it's 13 boys to 9 girls due to scheduling conflicts. Kuroo and Yaku immediately partner up while Kai and Miyanoshita decide to work together, and Koushi flushes a little as Kuroo's eyes flick to him in a silent dare.

“I, um,” Sawamura starts as Michimiya begins the approach. Koushi's window of golden opportunity to get his hands on those broad shoulders is closing fast.

“Please partner with me,” Koushi blurts out. 

Sawamura's eyes go wide and delighted. “Y-yes. Absolutely. I'd love to.”

Behind Sawamura's back, Nishinoya winks and makes a very lewd gesture. And as soon as Sawamura turns his head, Koushi wiggles his eyebrows at Nishinoya, who looks utterly delighted. Azumane, sweating heavily with Nishinoya as his partner, looks mortified.

oOo

Kageyama is waiting for him when he comes back, his eyes wide as he shoves a paper into his hands.

“What's this?” Koushi asks, smiling, because he can clearly see what it is. It's for an informal running club, and the fantastic designs on it suggests that it's Yachi Hitoka's handiwork. 

“Can I go?” Kageyama asks immediately, practically vibrating with want. “Hinata's going to join too. Oikawa-san said I had to ask you before I could but I want to.”

Koushi sometimes forgets that he is, even at his best, just a sixteen-year-old boy doing his best. Some days he feels like an ancient being who's being run over by a bus. Today is one of the latter, and looking at Kageyama being excited for once about something that's not Quidditch, it makes him feel old and a little sad. He glances around the room and finds that Tooru is sat in one of the low slung chairs, Hajime dozing with his head in his lap. He looks about as tired as Koushi feels, but Koushi looks back at his not-son and smiles. As Slytherin's vice-captain, he does have to sign off on any other sport club activities that the Quidditch players do. 

“I see no problem with it,” he says gently. “So long as you don't get snagged by a track and field team.”

Kageyama scoffs. His face is still soft and round, his limbs gangly. He has a few more years of growing to do, but he's getting tall already. He's definitely going to be taller than Koushi, probably closing in on Tooru's height with ease. “Track and field is boring.”

“I can't argue there.” Koushi ruffles his hair. “Alright. Let's see your homework before you go running off to join more people running.”

Kageyama shows him the saddest Muggle Studies paper he's ever seen, and Koushi resigns himself to an evening of explaining basic concepts of the lumber industry when Kuroo comes in the door looking like a drowned rat. 

“What happened to you?” Yahaba asks, and Kuroo growls under his breath.

“Pranks,” he mutters, stalking over to flop in front of the fire. “I _hate_ Hojo and his year.”

“They're spectacularly awful,” Tooru agrees, stroking Hajime's hair as he stirs a little. 

One of the tiny first years is watching Kuroo with a frown, and her friend pipes up in the self satisfied tones of someone who's never felt fear in their life, “Why's a boring _Ravenclaw_ doing always sleeping in our dorms?”

The temperature of the room goes down by a solid three degrees, and Koushi's absolutely ready to throw down with this child when a soft, cold voice says, “Because he's _my_ boring Ravenclaw.”

Kenma's standing in the doorway that leads to the dorm rooms, his eyes cold as ice and gleaming dangerous gold. The girl shrinks back in her chair as Kenma silently walks into the room. The rest of the room goes quiet as he does, Futakuchi waving Kindaichi and Kunimi's conversation off in the corner. Semi and Yamagata cease their dual game of shogi and chess to watch. Kuroo rolls over onto his back before the fire, his eyes heavy-lidded and an easy smile on his face. Kuroo reaches up a hand, and Kenma takes it when he reaches Kuroo's side, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin of his wrist. 

“He's is always welcome here,” Kenma says, his voice softening. It's like a knife wrapped in velvet, and he turns his attention back to the first year. “Make sure that you are as well.”

To her credit, the first year seems like she's got a bit of sense in backing down. Koushi relaxes for half a second, but she ruins it by rallying and saying, “I'm a _Hakizari_. You can't talk to me like that.”

Kenma cocks an eyebrow. “What, are we supposed to be proud of several hundred years of inbreeding and money hoarding? _He's_ a Kuroo. I'm a Kozume. And that means exactly nothing here. This is the new Slytherin. You don't get to wave a name around like it means anything- it's your actions that determine the respect you command.”

Hakizari's face goes dead white as Kuroo wiggles his fingers at her in a lazy wave. Kageyama is tense beside Koushi, but Koushi puts a hand on his leg. It happens at least once a year. Someone challenges Kuroo's presence, Kenma nearly eviscerates them, Kuroo turns into a pile of mush for a week and dotes on Kenma even more than usual. Kageyama usually flees the room when things like this happen, always panicky or frozen at the sight of aggression unless it's with Hinata, or in the clearly defined context of a match or roughhousing with the team. Koushi's fairly certain this is the first time he'll see the whole encounter all the way through.

“We _like_ Kuroo-kun,” Tooru says, carding through Hajime's hair. His voice is sweet as poisoned honey, and Hajime's eyes gleam where they're half open and watching the scene warily. “The jury's still out on how we feel about you. Do you understand, Hakizari-chan?”

Hakizari nods frantically, scrambling out of her chair and hurrying to the door to the rooms. Kuroo sits up, pressing his forehead to the back of Kenma's hand.

“My hero,” he murmurs, eyes lit with something pleased and dark.

“Shut up, Kuro,” Kenma mutters, his free hand reaching down to ruffle his hair. “Go dry off, you're dripping on the carpet like a wet dog.”

“You like dogs.”

Kenma gives him such a look of pure, intense displeasure and command that Kuroo scrambles to his feet and heads for the bedroom. Kenma stands before the fire for a moment, backlit by the flames.

“Anyone else have a comment they'd like to make?” he asks, his voice nearly echoing in the quiet room. The rest of the first years shake their heads. “Good.”

He stalks out of the room, following Kuroo, and Kageyama nearly falls over onto their coffee table in relief. Koushi decides not to comment, and instead opens Kageyama's textbook to a chapter on sustainable forestry.


	2. Chapter 2

Hogwarts has plenty of “problem children” sheltered under its tall walls, which is why Koushi finds himself standing on the edge of the Forbidden Forest two weeks into term with his hands on his hips. 

“I'm very sorry,” Kita says, in his detached and serene voice. He looks like a placid lake in July, but Koushi knows that under his calm exterior he's a riot of worry. “Iwaizumi was unavailable.”

“Of course he was.” Koushi sighs, looking over the trees. “Did he say _where_ he was going?”

“No. Though I understand that he enjoys the Reflecting Pool. I would go myself but...”

“I know. He only tends to trust me or Iwaizumi. Great.” Koushi sighs, checks that he has his wand, and stalks into the Forest.

He doesn't mind the forest, really. He likes the tall trees and the wildness of it. He grew up in the mountains, surrounded by woods and valleys, and he loves the days that he's allowed to slip within the shaded glens of the Forbidden Forest. Others fear it, find it alarming or strange, but he treats it with the same care that he would a sacred temple. He leaves offerings for the browtruckles, minds that he remains on the paths that are allowed for him, thanks the centaurs for their care of the place when he meets them, and leaves nothing but his footprints behind him when he goes. He finds peace in the shade of the great oaks and beeches, the living things of the forest breathing life into his own being. It's a soothing place, for all its dangers, and he makes his way down the most well travelled of the paths without issue. The Reflecting Pool isn't far into the forest, and he finds himself emerging onto its banks in short time. 

Across the water from him, silvery unicorns lay in a pile around the body of a bulky young man, who watches him with wary eyes. The unicorns, seven of them in total, seem content. They're a mix of ages, golden and silver and white all together. Some have horns, others don't. Koushi makes no move to approach further- unicorns are picky about those they let close, and he has no great plans for getting gored today. 

Koushi sighs. “You need to get waterproof eyeliner, Kentarou,” he says, his voice carrying easily over the small pond. It's perfectly clear, tempting to drink from but dangerous. The pool belongs to the unicorns, and only their chosen might even consider dipping their hand into it. Koushi is careful not to step too close to the water. Kyoutani Kentarou sniffles, rubbing at the black lines on his face. “I did tell you I'd buy you some.”

“Sorry,” Kyoutani mumbles, curling up against the side of a juvenile silver. The silver unicorn nuzzles at his head, apparently content to have him at his side. His hair is cut short this year, nearly buzzed, and dyed blonde with two thin stripes of brown in it. Terushima's work, probably. 

“That's nothing to be sorry about, Kentarou. What happened?”

Kyoutani strokes the unicorn's side, looking back over to him. Koushi hasn't moved, and that emboldens him.

“I got mad,” he says, reluctantly. “I yelled.”

“I yell all the time,” Koushi says, smiling. “Yelling in and of itself doesn't have to be a bad thing, Kentarou.”

“I _hate_ this,” Kyoutani says, one of the unicorns putting its glowing white head in his lap. “They just like me cause I'm _wrong_ , and everybody knows and those stupid Ravenclaws were joking about it and I feel so stupidly out of control and there's nothing I can do about it.”

He's crying angry tears again, and Koushi's heart goes out to him. 

“Kentarou, can I come over to you?”

He wipes his nose on his robes and nods. Koushi walks around the pool, keeping an eye on the water, and sits down on the bank above Kyoutani so that he can remain curled up in the puddle of unicorns and still see him. 

“They don't think you're wrong,” Koushi tells him, nodding at the unicorns. “Animals are smart. Unicorns are extremely smart. They look at the heart, not the body. They prefer girls, sure, but it's just that. Preference, not a given. You're not a girl, you never have been. You've always been good with all the animals. And as for feeling out of control... Kentarou, you just barely started treatments. Your body is struggling to adjust. We have it easier than Muggles, sure, our magic adapts and changes with greater ease, but it's not an easy thing. It was never an easy thing. I feel out of control too, a lot. I get angry, I yell, I feel all that white-hot rage. And it takes _time_ to learn to control that. You're running a race with weights on, starting way further back than everyone else, and still expected to win. It's okay to struggle.”

Kyoutani nods, hugging the juvenile unicorn's neck and rubbing his face against the soft coat. There's smudges of black on it, but the unicorn doesn't seem to mind. None of them mind. 

“And the Ravenclaws that year above Kuroo _are_ awful. Kita and I will talk with Kuroo, Oikawa, and the Gryffindors about imposing some difficulties on them,” Koushi says. “I'll make them suffer.”

Kyoutani's eyes go a little wide at that. “Uh.”

“Kentarou-kun, I'm in Slytherin for a reason,” Koushi says sweetly, propping his chin in his hands and smiling. “And I have a very low tolerance for people picking on others.”

“Oh.”

“Mmhmm~. So, would you like to sit here a while with the unicorns before we go back?”

“'es please.”

Koushi sits back, leaning against a tree, and looks up at the clear sky above the pool. One of the smallest unicorns, a tiny foal, totters up and folds spindly legs so that it can lay its soft head in his lap. Koushi melts, gently stroking the foals neck, and feels some of the strain of the week ease away. Time passes like molasses, the sky slowly starting to turn to fire in the west. Koushi waits until Kyoutani gets up to urge the little foal off of him, and they walk in silence with the unicorns as an honor guard around them up to the edge of the forest. 

“Thank you for caring for him,” Koushi tells the unicorns, bowing to them. He has no idea how much of human speech they understand, but it never hurts to be polite. Kyoutani bows as well, hugs the juvenile unicorn with black on it once again, and together they walk back up to the castle in the fading light.

Kita is waiting for them at the doors, and while his expression doesn't change the stress in his shoulders eases away.

Kyoutani stops in front of him, looking at the ground.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. 

“Why?” Kita asks. Koushi likes the Hufflepuff prefect. He's blunt without being cruel. “You lost your temper. It happens to everyone. What you do after is far more important.”

“Y-yes, Kita-senpai.”

Kita nods once, and gestures to the doors. “Please tidy the common room each night for a week before bed in penance.”

Kyoutani looks up, nodding. 

“And I will fetch you some of that chicken you like from the kitchens, along with some fresh fruits and steamed vegetables,” Kita says firmly, reaching out to adjust Kyoutani's robe and gently brush some of the unicorn hair off of him. “You don't take enough care of yourself. Come.”

He walks away, serene as ever, and Koushi hides a smile as he follows them in.

Iwaizumi's waiting in the entrance hall, looking more concerned than anything, and Kyoutani stops in front of him. Iwaizumi looks him over, reaching out to carefully tilt his head side-to-side. Kyoutani lets him without complaint. Of all the people in Hogwarts, only Iwaizumi has his full respect.

“Are you hurt?” he asks bluntly.

“No,” Kyoutani mumbles.

“We _they_ hurt?”

“I didn't throw any punches or anything. I just yelled.”

“Hmm.” Iwaizumi lets him go, sighing. “I'm glad you're okay.”

Kyoutani looks like he has no idea how to handle this statement, and so says nothing while staring at the ground. Iwaizumi rubs his head and pushes him gently towards Kita, who looks pleased. 

“I'm going to go and use the Prefects baths,” Koushi tells Iwaizumi with a sigh. “I need a good soak. Will you fetch dinner for me?”

“Sure. Just going to eat in the Common Room tonight?”

“I thought I'd go to the window seat on the third floor, actually.” Koushi rubs his neck, and Iwaizumi's eyebrows raise as he smirks.

“You mean the window seat that Sawamura likes to study in?”

“Oh, does he?” Koushi's eyes widen prettily. “I hadn't noticed.”

“You ain't slick, Suga.”

He leaves Iwaizumi to get him dinner, and heads for the baths. He keeps a spare change of comfortable clothes in his locker there in the event he doesn't want to drag himself all the way down to the dungeons and back up with his things. The password is “fourteen llamas” for no clear reason, and he sighs in relief when he gets into the room. There are three sections that he can exit into- the woman's baths, the mens bath, and the public bath. He can hear mixed conversation in the public baths and decides to pass on joining it. He checks in the men's section out of curiosity. The only other person there is Ushijima, who has a towel over his eyes and appears to be dead asleep. Koushi changes in the locker area, grabs his towel, and migrates to the mens showers. He rinses off the day's sweat and grime, washes his hair, and heads for the tub for a relaxing soak. 

“Ushijima, I'm getting in,” he announces, and the bulky man grunts in recognition without moving. Unlike Koushi, he wakes with the faintest footstep.

Koushi climbs into the tub and immediately feels better. It's covered in bubbles, and he settles on the seat of it to soak. The bubbles are foaming splendidly, and whatever oil Ushijima chose smells wonderfully clean and soft. 

His muscles slowly, easily relax, and Koushi's halfway asleep when Ushijima stirs and sits up, setting his towel to the side.

“Kita informed me that he was looking for you,” Ushijima says, yawning. “Did he find you?”

“Yep.” Koushi rolls his head on his shoulders, watching as Ushijima banishes half of the bubbles with a wave of his hand so that they won't cling to him. “Long day, Ushijima-kun?”

“All days are 24 hours.”

Koushi can't help but smile. Ushijima presents it as a matter-of-fact statement, but he does have a carefully hidden sense of humor. “So they are. But was it a difficult day?”

“It was emotionally taxing, yes,” Ushijima muses. His voice is so very deep, and it rumbles through Koushi's bones. Ushijima's personality is not to his taste, precisely, but he's appealing in his own way. “Tsutomu has been struggling with missing his family.”

Goshiki Tsutomu, bulky and strong and with a terrible haircut, is the baby of Hufflepuff. He wants nothing more than to be as strong as Ushijima, is relentlessly eager to please, and utterly precious. Koushi's relatively certain there's not a single person in the castle who doesn't absolutely adore him. Even Semi Eita, prickly and bad-tempered, thinks that Tsutomu is a delight. He's much like Bokuto, emotional to a fault, and feels deeply. 

“I'm sorry to hear that,” Koushi says. “He's a good kid.”

“He is,” Ushijima agrees, giving a rare smile. “He is maturing well. I'm pleased with his accomplishments.”

High praise, from Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Ushijima levers himself out of the bath with little care for modesty, patting himself dry without a bit of shame. Koushi, long used to Ushijima's complete lack of body shyness after a full five years of living in the same building and often sharing a bath, doesn't so much as blink. Ushijima has more scars along his legs and arms again, all of them healed into pale lines and circles on his skin. Puncture wounds or deep scratches, it seems.

“You have more of them. Scars, I mean,” he says, and Ushijima nods. 

“The roses were hungry for blood. I assure you, it was not given willingly,” Ushijima says. “I was foolish in my pursuits of breeding them into a new form this past summer and suffered for my foolishness. They ensnared me and had their fill before I was able to escape.”

“You have a dangerous hobby, Ushijima.”

“Mmm, no,” Ushijima says, as if there isn't a scar dangerously close to his femoral artery. “Just poor gardening equipment. I believe I'll invest in armor, when next I make the attempt.”

“You really love plants, don't you?” Koushi says, shaking his head. 

“Yes.” Ushijima finishes toweling off, and wraps the towel around his waist. “They please me.” He goes to leave, then pauses and turns back. “Sugawara-san.”

“Hmm?”

Ushijima hesitates for a moment before saying, with almost delicate word choice, “Does Tendou seem...well?”

“I saw him yesterday at Ballroom Dance,” Koushi says, surprised. “He was a bit quiet, but he seemed in pretty good spirits.”

“Hmm.” Ushijima considers this for a moment, then nods. “Thank you. A good evening to you, then.”

Koushi waves him goodbye, and relaxes back in the bath. The water is so wonderfully warm. He's back to dozing again when the door opens, and he cracks his eye open to see that it's Kuroo this time, freshly showered and dressed.

“You've been in here almost an hour,” Kuroo says, grinning down at him.

“I'm basking,” Koushi retorts.

“You're turning into a prune.”

Koushi sticks out his tongue, making Kuroo laugh. “I'm enjoying myself.”

“Yeah, well, Iwaizumi's got dinner waiting for you and told me to tell you that your Prince Charming usually only stays in his window seat for about three hours, so you don't have a lot of time.”

“I'm up, I'm up!”

Iwaizumi hands off his dinner in the Great Hall, where he's studying Runes and keeping an eye on a group of second year Ravenclaws playing what looks like a very intense game of chess. Koushi thanks him and practically skips up to the third floor. 

Sawamura is there after all, curled up in the window seat with a book. He looks soft. Gentle, even. Koushi finds himself wanting to curl up with him and read while a dog sits on their feet, and the thought is so blissfully domestic that he feels his cheeks go hot. 

This is dumb. They've barely spoken in these past few years. He's just thirsting after a handsome guy that he barely knows and might have a sliver of a shot of a couple dates with, not his future husband. He needs to get it together.

“Mind if I join you?”

Sawamura looks up, his eyes brightening. “Sugawara-san!”

“Please, just Suga,” Koushi says, a little giddy. “I missed dinner, do you mind if I...”

“No, no, please.” Sawamura reaches into his bag and- and pulls out an entire folding wooden TV tray. Koushi stares at him as he pops it upright and sets it by the window seat. 

“Do you just... carry that around?”

“It's bigger on the inside,” Sawamura says with a grin. “I keep all sorts of stuff in it. Please, sit.”

Koushi does, absurdly pleased by this, and sets the box of food down. It turns out to be inarizushi, spicy curry and rice, a mix of steamed vegetables, and strawberry daifuku for desert. Koushi coos in delight when he sees that there's also a small container of hot sauce. Iwaizumi knows him well. 

“What're you reading?” Koushi asks as he picks up one of the inarizushi. 

“Ah, nothing much.” Sawamura actually looks a little pleased that he'd asked, brightening up. Koushi pops the inarizushi in his mouth and watches as Sawamura's eyes flash to his fingers for a moment before returning to his face. “My sister sends me books to read so that we have something to talk about in her letters.” He reveals the book, passing it over to Koushi.

“Redwall,” Koushi reads, taking in the well worn red cover. “This is quite a thick book.” It's heavy in his hands, and the cover has a mouse holding a sword on it. Koushi, having grown up in an almost entirely magical community, is fascinated.

“Sadako likes elaborate storytelling,” Sawamura says, smiling. “She's just turned 10.”

“A wonderful year, age ten.” Koushi hands it back, and makes a note to see if the library happens to have it in the expansive fiction section. If it doesn't, he's sure he can request it. “So, you have a sister with a voracious appetite for books. Any other siblings?”

“Sadako and Akimaru are twins,” Sawamura says, beaming. He obviously loves them, and Koushi's heart flutters in delight at the smile on his face. “They're ten, and then there's 8 year old Ayame, and Hana, who's 5-going-on-40. They live in a Muggle community, my mother's a big believer in living in the world at large and not isolating in just a magical community. She grew up in Hogsmeade. My dad's a Muggle-born, so he's happy that he gets to raise his kids in the wider world.”

“My family is isolated,” Koushi admits. “I wish we weren't. The only muggle couple in our community is a pair of lesbian pagans. I don't have any siblings, but Iwaizumi and Oikawa grew up in the same area so they're pretty good friends.”

They chat about a lot of nothing in particular, and Koushi feels giddy the entire time. His food disappears piece by piece, and then he finds himself packing the box back together (he recognizes it as Iwaizumi's nice bento set, the fancy lacquer boxes with their intricate geometric designs a staple of the Slytherin pantry cupboards) and curling up on the window seat as Sawamura puts the tray back in his bag. The last light of the day is coming through the window, painting Sawamura with golden light, and Koushi drinks in the way it highlights the cut of his jaw and the soft shadows of his lashes. Koushi's never been one for “sweet”. He likes things with spice, enough to burn his tongue. He's fooled around with Terushima, with others, always going for those with a more wicked disposition.

He's inclined to think that he's been missing out tremendously on just how good “sweet” can be.

“If you'd like,” Sawamura says, cutting those much too pretty brown eyes up at him, “I could read this to you.” He taps Redwall, where it sits innocently on the cushion of the windowseat. 

“I think I'd like that,” Koushi says, and Sawamura's smile is so utterly charming that it takes his breath away.

“Alright.” Sawamura digs in his bag and pulls out a light blanket, tossing it over to him, and Koushi wraps it around his legs as he leans back against the wall. Sawamura opens the book, eyes flicking up to him a couple of times, and clears his throat.

“ _It was the start of the summer of the Late Rose. Mossflower country shimmered gently in a peaceful haze..._ ”

Sawamura's voice is perfect for reading, and Koushi finds himself relaxing as he tips his head back, and listens to the story unfolding.

They make it to the third chapter before footsteps come pattering up the corridor. Hinata Shouyou bolts to them, bright hair askew as ever, and skids to a halt in front of them.

“Hi Suga-san!” he practically sings. “Dai-san, Choji and Suki blew up their experiment and half the tables again in the second-years bedroom and Hizashi said I should get you since you're the scariest when you're mad.”

“Oh god, _again_?” Sawamura groans, closing his book and immediately grabbing his bag. “How does this keep happening? Suga, I'm so sorry, I have to go take care of this and possibly strangle two second years. I'm so sorry-”

Koushi watches Hinata's eyes flick back and forth between him, Sawamura, Sawamura's blanket, the book, and the bento box. Koushi's blood runs cold as he sees Hinata put all the pieces together, and frantically shakes his head as Hinata opens his mouth. Hinata, in a rare show of restraint, blinks at him and shuts it with a very pleased smile. 

Kageyama's best friend-rival-partner- _something_ knowing about his crush on Sawamura and blurting it out is not what Koushi wants to deal with so early in the term. Hinata visits the Slytherin dorms a lot and has since first year, dragging Tsukishima Kei and Yamaguchi Tadashi with him so that they can work together with Kageyama on various projects. Collectively, the group are referred to as Them. They aren't even the closest friends, but they're always together. Hinata is exceedingly popular, knows everybody, and is involved with everything under the sun. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi keep mostly to themselves, Tsukishima because he's a walking pile of salt and Yamaguchi because he's horribly shy, but the four of them make for an ungodly team of troublemakers. Koushi's been watching them for years now, and knows exactly how much danger he's in if Hinata decides to do something to “help”.

“So, this time tomorrow?”

Koushi comes back to himself, snapping out of his panic.

Sawamura has just asked him to come back again.

Is. Is that a date? A book date? Koushi's going to swoon.

“Absolutely,” he says, smiling brightly. Hinata looks positively gleeful. “Go, take care of your rambunctious little ones Sawamura.”

Sawamura looks relieved. “Please, just Daichi.”

“Daichi, then,” Koushi says, almost giddy. “Go help the kidlets.”

Daichi's eyes flash with some unnamed emotion, and he hurries away with Hinata following. Hinata turns and mouths “Nice!” at him. Koushi's face meets his palm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another unfinished work that'll be updated as the muse hits me. Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd be interested in seeing from this fic, or side stories and such.
> 
> Comments feed my soul and keep me motivated! I hope to have more of this soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Koushi's sitting in the library again a week later, working on Chemistry homework and feeling very sorry for the state of his notebook where the molecule diagrams are, when a body thuds into the chair next to his. A flash of yellow and brown tells him that it's Kyoutani who's come to visit, and he has his arms crossed firmly over his chest.

“Hello,” Koushi says without looking up, making a note of the structure he's been staring at. “Something wrong?”

“You were wrong,” Kyoutani says, and Koushi looks up. Kyoutani's glaring at the stack of books on the table, mouth set in a stubborn line. “You probably didn't mean it, but you were wrong.”

“About what?” Koushi sets his pen aside. Talking to Kyoutani requires his full attention.

“The- the yelling thing. You don't yell. You might raise your voice to call to someone, but you don't yell or scream unless it's during a match when that's a thing that's _supposed_ to be happening to cheer people on, and you never do it in anger.” Kyoutani seems to be trying to set the books on fire with his eyes. “So I'm gonna do better.”

Koushi stares, surprised, and Kyoutani pushes away from the table and stalks out of the library. 

“Well,” Koushi says to the empty air, and gets nothing done for the rest of the afternoon.

After dinner (featuring a somewhat morose Akaashi sitting with Kenma and the pair of them sulking together over something that happened in Charms, and Iwaizumi being flirted with by Hanamaki relentlessly until Oikawa got jealous) Koushi makes his way up the stairs for what's becoming a standing date with Daichi. They've finished Redwall and have moved onto one of the numerous sequels, this one called Mossflower, and Koushi is quietly happy. He knows it's nothing to be excited about, really- they just sit together, taking turns reading to each other in the window seat, a blanket over both of them and their legs tangled together. Koushi's content with how things are progressing. Daichi seems happy to leave it at this pace. 

He takes a couple turns, stands on the 5:09 stairs that migrate to the next floor, and is strolling along the hall without a care when he comes across Tendou, practicing steps in the hallway. 

“Heyyyy Suga,” Tendou calls cheerfully, feet falling in perfect three-quarter time to a waltz with an invisible partner. “Whatcha up to?”

“Book date,” Suga says cheerfully. “What about you?”

“Oh, just practicing,” Tendou says, letting his arms fall. “I missed dancing.”

“You have before?”

Tendou grins at him. “I dabble. It's fun. Hey, uh. Can I ask you for a favor?”

“Sure,” Koushi says, immediately interested. Plenty of people come to him for help, but rarely do they phrase it so that he can request something in return. They know him too well, most of the time. “Do we need shovels? Because not that I know a guy, but I know a guy.”

(Kenma. He knows Kenma, who's a master of transfiguration and doesn't ask questions.)

“Nothing like that,” Tendou says, looking absolutely delighted, “but I'll keep you in mind if I need to bury anything. Again.” He coughs. “Um. Semi really likes watching the stars, and tonight's supposed to be a really good night for it. And... I want to take him to look at them, out in the back. He got in a fight with Shirabu again and it's really fucking with him.”

“So you want me to make sure you guys don't get caught?” Koushi says, thrilled. “Absolutely. Consider it done. Remember to wear condoms.”

Tendou goes almost as red as his hair. “It's not- We aren't- He doesn't like me!”

Koushi, who's known Semi Eita for a very long time now, grins. “You sure about that, oh master Guess Monster?”

Tendou's jaw drops, and Koushi fishes out a pair of condoms from his bag and hands them over to his unresistant hands.

“You- you're serious?” Tendou stares at him.

“Semi might have shown a lot of people a good time, but the only people he ever seems to care about are you and Ushijima,” Koushi says, patting his cheek. “And Semi _really_ likes spoiling the people he's close to, so get ready to have your mind blown.”

Tendou, who is in fact wearing a shirt that Koushi knows Semi bought for him during the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, squeaks. Koushi brushes past him, leaving Tendou to his thoughts, and makes his way to Daichi's window seat. 

The man himself is there, dressed in everyday clothes and writing in a notebook. Koushi takes a moment to appreciate him, the sturdy set of his shoulders and heft of his torso, how the light falls on his hair and makes his eyes shine. His clothes are comfortable, a plain gray t-shirt and a long, flowing skirt with bold purple and orange flowers on it, simple black socks peeking out from under the hem as he writes. Koushi is only so good of a man, and takes a moment to compose himself. Daichi likely wouldn't appreciate having that skirt rucked up so his reading partner could feel those monster thighs of his. 

It is, however, a very pretty skirt. 

They've come into Hogwarts evening fashion, popular across the board but especially in Gryffindor. Open sleeve surcoats with elaborate embroidery are popular as well, Koushi himself working on one of ultra soft black velvet with silver stitching to wear while patrolling at night. Last year had trended towards loud, bright colors and what Terushima called “gay club chic”; this year the trends seemed to be falling to a very Lord of the Rings aesthetic and Koushi was all about that. Especially if it meant more of Daichi in skirts. 

“Sorry I'm late,” he says, stepping forward and hopping onto the window seat. Daichi smiles at him, soft and bright, and Koushi's heart does a happy rumba. “Tendou caught me.”

Daichi looks so _domestic_ sitting here. Koushi wants to take him home and spoil him with everything he's ever desired. 

“No worries, I was just journaling.” He puts the notebook in his bag, and pulls out the fuzzy blanket they both like the best and the book. “Ready?”

Koushi pulls his legs up, sticking them between Daichi and the window. “Very.”

The skirt is so incredibly soft, and Koushi is so very, very into Daichi wearing easy access clothes. Fuck. 

“I like your skirt,” he says, because he's helpless not to, and Daichi brightens. 

“Thanks! My mom made it for me when I told her I wanted a couple of them.”

Oh no, he has multiples. Koushi's doomed.

“You have more than one?” He says, just in case his fate isn't sealed.

“Yeah, five or six now.”

Nope, he's fucked. 

They settle down and read together for nearly an hour, pausing to talk about some of the scenes in the book here and there. Koushi loves these evenings together. They can't do it every night, but four times a week is wonderful. He relaxes against the wall, Daichi's voice washing over him, and feels the stresses of the day slip away. Daichi's leg is warm against his, sturdy and reassuring. Koushi watches at Daichi reads, his face soft and eyes lit up with happiness, and thinks that just maybe he might be falling head over heels for real.

oOo

If Koushi and Oikawa are the Slytherin parental unit, it must be said that Kuroo and Yaku are their Ravenclaw equivalents despite how often Kuroo is gone. Koushi is eating lunch when Kuroo stalks over to the table, hair wildly askew and robes a mess. Yaku's close behind him with a face like a storm cloud. Kuroo drops down at Slytherin table, giving one of the first years a venomous glare when she looks at him askance.

“You're being reckless,” Yaku hisses, stopping at Kuroo's side. 

“I'm not,” Kuroo snaps, sparks flying from his fingertips as he drums them on the table. Kageyama flicks his fingers and the tiny flames go out before they can damage the table too much. “I am not being ridiculous, Yakkun, this is getting dangerous.”

“What's dangerous?” Koushi asks. 

Kuroo bares his teeth, eyes flicking to the cohort of seventh year Ravenclaws laughing at their table. “ _Them_. Homophobic assholes, the lot of them. I just got back from talking with one of the third years, apparently they've been making the sort of comments that no one should ever repeat when out of earshot of our year. And I can do sweet fuck all about it, because they've got leverage over me and I don't dare make a move until I know it's safe to do it.”

“What leverage?” 

The intruding voice is, of all people, Bokuto Koutarou. He drops down at the table and beams at Kuroo, who reaches over to ruffle his hair.

“Hey, Bo.”

“You look sad,” Bokuto says, propping his chin in his hands. “What've they got? Did they take something from you?”

“It's not so much what they have over me as what they have over someone else,” Kuroo says, fingers scraping along the table. “Something I'm not willing to let a person get hurt by.”

“You don't care about a lot of people so it must be something really important,” Bokuto says earnestly, and Koushi's inclined to agree. 

“I care about lots of things,” Kuroo says, indignant.

“You care about Kenma and Tsukishima, and me when we're not kicking your ass in Quidditch,” Bokuto says cheerfully. “The rest of the world could burn up and die and as long as Kenma was safe you wouldn't care.”

“Well. You're not wrong,” Kuroo admits. “I also like sleep.”

Yaku rubs his forehead. “The Slytherins have rubbed off on you.”

“Nah, they're more refined than that, they need a bit more foreplay through clever words and a lot of heated glances over a chess board while playing footsie,” Kuroo says, and grins at his short friend. “I have _definitely_ rubbed off on a couple of them, though.”

“You're disgusting,” Yaku says, drier than a desert. “I hate you and regret ever speaking a word to you, and I'm going to step all over your feet in ballroom dance tomorrow.”

“Can't wait, babe.”

“Don't call me that, _dear_ ,” Yaku says with plenty of venom. “I will make your life a living hell if you don't help me get this shit sorted out as soon as possible. You're a fucking prefect, exercise some authority and help me kick these trash bags asses into next week. This has gone on way too long and I'm tired.”

“I will,” Kuroo says, all trace of a smile gone. He reaches over, taking Yaku's hand, and Yaku's eyes flash as Kuroo touches it to his forehead. “I promise, I'll give them exactly what they deserve, and I'll keep everyone safe when I do.”

Some of the Slytherin's down the table have caught the gesture and look spooked. Koushi can't blame them. The Kuroo family is powerful and old, even for a Pureblood line. Wealthy, deadly, and technically part of the Peerage depending on the branch, the Kuroo's are the image of old money and power; Yaku Morisuke is from an impoverished muggle family, the first wizard ever in their family. Such a gesture of fealty from a Pureblood to a muggle-born will cause a stir in the children that Oikawa hasn't yet begun to purge the bigotry from. There's an old magic tying the motion to the promise, an ancient thing undisturbed by time. 

And Yaku knows it.

“See that you do,” Yaku says, and lightly brushes a hand through Kuroo's hair before turning on his heel and stalking away towards the main door. 

Bokuto sighs, flopping on the table. “Kurooooo.”

“What, bro?”

“Will you come fly with me? Please? Please? Everyone else is busy and Akaashi can't because he has class!” Bokuto puts on his best pleading face, inching closer to Kuroo. “Pleeease? It'll make you feel better and you can play Keeper!” 

Koushi watches as Kuroo's expression softens. It's impossible not to like Bokuto when he gets going, so earnest and excited by life. The Bokuto's are Purebloods as well, and Kuroo, Bokuto, and Daishou Suguru have known each other for years. 

“I've got some time before Chemistry,” Kuroo agrees, ruffling Bokuto's hair again. “C'mon, you overgrown owl, let's get changed.”

Kuroo takes Bokuto away, and Koushi looks over to Kageyama, who's studiously examining his food as if he hasn't been intently listening to the conversation and using a suddenly mirror polished spoon to keep an eye on the seventh year Ravenclaws. 

“Let's take a walk, Tobio,” Koushi says sweetly, and Kageyama gulps.

oOo

They go out to the haha, where the grass is still vibrant green and the trees beyond have just started to change. Koushi smiles at the rictus on Kageyama's face, and how his eyes keep flicking over to him. After the mess that was this past summer, Kageyama's even more high strung than before, but Koushi will work on that.

“I'm not mad,” he starts. “Or disappointed. But we ought to talk about something before any of this goes any further.” Koushi sits on the grass, Kageyama following. 

The wind brings a bit of warmth with it, and Koushi tips his face up to the bright blue sky. The clouds skitter along thanks to the wind, high above them, puffy and brilliant white.

“What's the price for ambition?” Koushi asks, looking back to Kageyama. 

Kageyama frowns. “The... price?”

“The price of ambition,” Koushi repeats, trailing his fingers through the grass. “After four years, I think you know that nothing comes free with magic or with life. So, what's the price of ambition?”

Kageyama's frown deepens as he looks down at the grass. Koushi says nothing, letting him mull it over. Kageyama Tobio isn't the brightest student in the world, or the sharpest mind, but he comes up with interesting answers to philosophical questions and Koushi's curious to see what his answer is. 

“Relationships,” Kageyama answers, looking up. He looks haunted, his eyes darting away rather than meeting Koushi's. “That's... the price I paid for ambition that I didn't control. I lost people who used to be my fr- my teammates.”

“That's a good answer,” Koushi says. “The price of ambition is different for everyone. For me, it's pride.”

“I don't understand,” Kageyama says, tugging at the grass and looking up from under his lashes. 

Koushi ruffles his hair, making him scowl, and smiles a little. “I lost my place on the starting line up of the team to Semi, and then to you. But it was a price that I personally was willing to pay. My ambition is to see Slytherin to the house cup, and if I personally am not the one for the job than I'll make sure the person who _is_ will be just as good, if not better than me. For my ambitions to come true, I had to swallow my pride and step down, to be a reserve in case one of you was injured or they needed to shake up the game. The more we play, the more likely it is that I'll get to be in the game too, right? Kageyama, everyone pays a price for their dreams and ambitions. Whether it's their time, their energy, their pride, their health... In order to attain something, something else must be given up in return.”

Kageyama nods, blue eyes intent on him. 

“When Kuroo was talking to Yaku, you were keeping watch to make sure the Ravenclaw's didn't hear, right?” Koushi says. 

“Yeah.”

“Why?” Koushi asks. 

Kageyama makes a face. “No one likes them. They're mean. And Kuroo's going to fix things. I didn't want them knowing that he was going to.”

“Good.” Koushi ruffles his hair again, and Kageyama is clearly resigned to this happening again. “I'd like you to tell Tsukishima about that conversation later. When you're alone, not with Hinata. I know you trust him implicitly, but this will be something that Tsukishima will want to know in a quiet way.”

“Okay,” Kageyama says, nodding. Koushi worries sometimes that someone's going to latch onto how very obedient he is for his senpai, how easily he follows their commands. He makes a mental note to keep an eye on that. It has the makings of something potentially dangerous. There are always people looking to exploit obedience, especially in the wizarding world. 

“Tsukishima is good at figuring out how people tick, what makes people do the things they do,” Koushi explains. “You're good at many things, but people aren't one of them.”

Kageyama winces. “Sorry.”

“You'll improve with time,” Koushi says, fond. “But it _will_ take time, and everybody's different. You may never fully understand people. And that's okay.”

“Okay,” Kageyama says, nodding. 

“Tell Tsukishima to find out what leverage they have over Kuroo,” Koushi says, “and all their little weaknesses. Then, I'd like him to come to me and we'll make a plan to make life a lot easier in Ravenclaw.”

Kageyama nods, understanding. “So... what does this have to do with ambition?”

“We pay a price to get what we want,” Koushi says. “Now, we've turned the question around to the seventh year Ravenclaws. What's their ambitions? What's their motivations? What makes them tick, and what's the one thing they _won't_ sacrifice to get what they want?”

Kageyama's eyes flash with understanding. “Oh.”

“That's right.”

Kageyama scrambles to his feet, and Koushi lets him help him up. They walk back to the castle together, Koushi's arm around his prickly kouhai's shoulder, and Kageyama leaning into him. He is, under all the upset and fear and temper and nerves, a good kid. Koushi ruffles his hair again, and Kageyama doesn't even try to fix it.

oOo

When he comes back to the Common room that night, he finds Eita staring at a chess board between him and Suguru, the pair of them clearly locked in some kind of battle.

“Having fun?” he asks, dropping into a chair.

“No one plays this game for fun,” Suguru mutters, glaring as Eita moves his bishop. “We're playing for clean up duty in the clubhouse.”

“Fair enough.”

Koushi glances around the room. Kuroo's asleep on a couch, or pretending to be asleep. Tooru and Hajime are cuddled up together on the love seat and pouring over Astronomy charts. Kageyama's out running, Shigeru with him as well. Yamagata's helping Kunimi with something, and a couple of seventh years are asleep by the fire in a puddle of long limbs. It's a nice, quiet evening in. Koushi relaxes a little.

“Thanks for the other day,” Eita says, moving his knight. Suguru counters with a rook, glaring. “I had fun.”

“No problem. Did Tendou have fun too?” Koushi asks slyly, and Eita grins at him. 

“You know, I think he did.”

“Good.” Koushi watches them move, feeling rather pleased with himself. “Where's that going?”

“Dunno yet.” Eita takes one of Suguru's bishops, and smacks his hand when he tries to cheat by moving a piece out of its boundaries. “Kind of want to make him scream and take him apart, kind of want to adopt ten kids with him and Ushijima and live in a cottage in the Highlands for the rest of my life. You know. Boring domestic shit or kinky wild shit, not really sure which is more appealing.”

“You're such a romantic,” Suguru mutters, moving his rook again and snarling when a pawn takes it. “Fuck you, Eita.”

“We tried that, Daishou, it didn't work out. Don't take your anger out on me,” Eita says, smirking. 

Koushi laughs, relaxing in his chair. “So, Ushijima and Tendou, then?”

“Yeah. If the dream team over there can snag the Meme Team, I'm sure I can get in with two handsome Hufflepuffs and have a good time.” Eita moves his bishop. “Check, you little shit.”

“ _Fuck_.”

Koushi leaves before the inevitable duel breaks out, heading to his room. Kenma's already there, not surprising, and has his cat asleep on his chest while Kuroo's sleeps at his feet. Pie is a massive beast of a cat, a black and gray Maine coon that's so fluffy that Koushi's not completely convinced he's not actually a soot sprite in disguise. Pie is enormous, but Dana (Real name Deoxyribonucleic Acid, DNA for short, which became Dana) is a tiny little short-hair calico with the sharpest claws that Koushi's ever seen that loves Kuroo and Kenma and barely tolerates the rest of life on the planet earth. She yawns wide when Koushi walks in, sharp teeth on display for a moment before she closes her mouth and stretches to expose her stomach. 

Her stomach looks _so_ soft, but Koushi doesn't want to lose his fingers, so he resists the urge to touch the soft fur. Kenma's on his phone, using Pie as a stand. 

“Hey,” Koushi says cheerfully, sitting down on his bed. “How was your day?”

“Long,” Kenma says, sighing. “But not that bad.” His nose wrinkles and he pauses whatever he's been doing. “I think I like Kuro.”

Koushi, halfway through stripping off his robes, fumbles with the latch and almost falls over. “Y- oh! You do?”

“I think so,” Kenma says thoughtfully. “I know he likes me. But he brought me Pie today because I wasn't feeling great after Transfiguration and kept going on about how I needed to eat more and fussing over me and asking what I needed, and I realized I wanted to kiss him, so. I think I like him.”

Koushi beams. He's been waiting for this moment since second year, and this is the best thing he's ever heard. He jumps up, making Dana open one eye and Pie yawn, pumping his fists in the air. “Yes! I'm so happy for you! Are you going to tell him?”

“I think so. Once he's done with his nap.” Kenma makes another face. “He's going to be such a pain, wanting to go on dates all the time. I'll have to get used to that.”

“That's adorable.”

“I can still hex you, Koushi.”

“There's several boxes of condoms in my bedside table, take as many as you want.”

“ _Oh my god_.”

Koushi laughs, shoving his robes in his trunk and pulling out a long gray skirt and a comfortable white shirt that matches the freshly completed over robe. He pulls them on and fetches his shoes again. 

“Where're you going?” 

“Somewhere that's not here,” Koushi says cheerfully, pinning his Prefect badge onto the shirt in case someone stops him. “If you're going to confess you should do it where it's just the two of you.” He adjusts the cuffs of his shirt, brushing down the black velvet of the surcoat and twitching his skirt into something a little more presentable. “I'll go swan around the lake feeling fancy and stare longingly at the moon in the hopes that Daichi will get a hint and pin me to a wall.”

“There aren't any walls by the lake.”

“Hush, let me dream!”

Kenma gives him a little smile, quietly grateful, and Koushi winks at him before slipping back out of their bedroom. The Common room is all egging on an arm wrestling match between Hajime and Reon, who must be visiting Eita. He leaves without being noticed, though Kuroo is yawning awake. 

The halls are quiet as he strolls to the main doors, the castle quieting for the evening. He leaves and makes his way to the lake, the air crisp but not too cold. It's a beautiful night. The evening sky has finally hit darkness, the sun fully set, and he thinks of nothing in particular as he walks around the rim of the lake. The velvet keeps him warm, the skirt long and heavy enough to keep his legs covered from the elements. He finds himself going to the stairs that lead down to the boat house, and descends down to the dock. It's quiet there, the water lapping at the wood, and he sits on the planks and looks out over the water. It thrashes here and there, fish jumping before tentacles grasp them to pull them down to the giant squid. Koushi props his chin in his hands, letting the evening wash over him. 

Footsteps behind him make him grasp his wand and get to his feet, but when he turns he's surprised by who's slipped up behind him. 

“Oh,” he says blankly, looking between a grinning Nishinoya and a furiously blushing Azumane. “Hello.”

“Hi, Suga-san!” Nishinoya says cheerfully. “Haven's seen you down here before!”

“I was out for a walk,” he says, looking between the two. Azumane looks absolutely mortified. “Are you down here to practice the tango? Perhaps horizontally?”

Azumane buries his face in his hands as Nishinoya laughs hysterically. 

“Nothing like that!” Nishinoya says. “Well. Kind of like that. But much more vertical. So can you leave so we can get too it?”

“ _Noya_ ,” Azumane hisses, crimson.

“Not a problem,” Koushi laughs, clapping Nishinoya on the shoulder. “Have fun!”

Azumane whimpers and Koushi heads out, gathering his skirt to walk up the stairs. He has no idea how long it's going to be before his bedroom is safe to return to, so he'll go to the library for some evening reading. He reaches the top of the stairs with little trouble, only stopping the once to catch his breath (they're terribly steep), and is about to walk into the building when he pauses. 

“Do I want to know?” he asks, looking at the four frozen boys standing in the doorway, all in black with hoods on. Hinata's orange hair is poking out from under his, Kageyama looks like he's planning his funeral, Tsukishima has a look of practiced boredom on his face that's clearly hiding alarm, and Yamaguchi's practically hidden behind his boyfriend.

“Probably not,” Hinata says cheerfully. “It's nothing too dangerous!”

“Hinata, you once tried to convince me that keeping a chimera as a pet was a good idea,” Koushi says. “Too dangerous isn't even a concept to you.”

“Okay, well, we're not going to climb any trees or steal any questionably legal animals-”

“Chimeras are unquestionably _illegal_.”

“-And we'll be back in before midnight!” Hinata powers forward, eyes shining. “Also, Daichi's still in the library.”

Koushi puts his hands on his hips. “Are you trying to bribe me, Hinata Shouyou?”

“Y-yes,” Hinata says, inching backwards. 

Koushi rolls his eyes. “Well, it worked. You'd better all be in your houses, in your _beds_ by 12. Kageyama, I _will_ check.”

The four immediately nod in agreement. 

“Good. Don't die, because I've got a surprise date to spring on Daichi and I don't want to have to bail you out from whatever you're doing.” Koushi walks past them, a spring in his step, and makes his way to the library as the Them head out the door. 

Daichi, it turns out, is indeed in the library. It's otherwise empty, the nine o'clock bell having driven everyone else out of the place, and Koushi finds him sitting in a comfortable chair in the reading area with a massive thermos of hot chocolate and a book the size of a small European country that claims to be a complete history of cloud divination techniques. He looks soft and approachable in black split leg hakama and a soft cream sweater, and Koushi wants. 

He could walk in, sit at the chair by Daichi's side. Read a book, laugh and joke with him, flirt a little. 

The sweater looks so soft, and Daichi is so handsome, and Koushi's never really been one for drawing out the waiting game when he can have what he wants immediately. He's a fan of instant gratification, so sue him. 

“Daichi,” he calls as he walks in. Daichi looks up, smiling. 

“Oh, Suga, hi-”

Suga climbs onto his lap, hitching up his skirt to straddle him, and the book goes flying as Daichi surges up to grab his face and kiss him. 

“Hi,” Koushi says when he pulls back, flushed and a little breathless, arms looped around Daichi's neck. Daichi's pupils are blown wide, and one broad hand rests on the soft velvet of his surcoat. “I've been wanting to do that for a month or two. Sorry it took me so long to get to know you. You're cute, I like you, let's date exclusively and stop dancing around it.”

“Sure,” Daichi says, and pulls him in for another kiss. Koushi melts into it, pressing their bodies tight together, and Daichi nips at his lip when they part for breath.

“I didn't figure you for a biter,” Koushi says, breathless again as he rests their foreheads together. 

“I didn't figure you for such a bold little minx,” Daichi counters, hand falling to Koushi's now exposed thigh to trail over the skin there. “You'd better be wearing something under this or this might get awkward fast.”

“Sure I am,” Koushi says, grinning wickedly. “I'm wearing lace.”

Daichi's jaw drops. “You're not.”

Koushi hums, trailing his fingers over Daichi's neck. “I guess you'll never know.”

“This is my life now, isn't it,” Daichi says, leaning into his hands. He's smiling wide though, and Koushi peppers kisses over his cheeks. 

“I hope so,” Koushi tells him, run his hands down to Daichi's chest. “Sorry if you wanted to keep dragging out the flirting. I got impatient.”

Daichi grins at him, and Koushi kisses him again. 

The rest of the world's needs can wait. Koushi has a boyfriend to spoil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna... remove that slow burn tag........
> 
> I tried.
> 
> Also Hogwarts students are always in robes so like. They'd be used to skirts. And magical folk tend to not have a clue as to what Muggle fashion is anyway, so it makes perfect sense. Also Daichi deserves comfy skirts. 
> 
> Comments bring me joy! Feed your local starving author!


End file.
